Back to the Bunyas

The great Geologist Migration has started! Our drilling program's been stalled since November due to Queensland's rain, floods and a couple of cyclones. After several false starts and setbacks, it's finally looking dry enough to mobilise the troops back north to the Coalfields. About freaking time, the traditional summer in the office was wearing thin.

Instead of doing a monster 1100km one-day drive, I took a couple of extra days and spent a weekend in the Bunya Mountains. You can keep your 5-star B&Bs - when the weather's nice, there's no better way to spend a night than in a snug wee tent under a million stars, with hooting owls providing the soundtrack. I bought along a pair of 80x20 astronomy binoculars, and spent hours each night gazing at the moon, nebulae and star clusters.

The Bunyas aren't mountains in the pointy, Lord Of The Rings sense. The high points are about 1100m, which is enough to give views out to Noosa Heads 130km away, and makes for a cooler climate than the sweltering flatlands to the west. The forest's typical sub-tropical rainforest, with the famous Bunya Pines sticking out the top.




The view west from the Bunyas, looking over the Darling Downs.

I did the long drive on Monday, playing tag with thunderstorms a lot of the way. Each time I thought I'd left the sweeping storm front behind, I'd drive around a hill into another deluge. I half expected to find the whole Coalfields saturated, but the storms quit a few hundred km away. And if they stay away we'll be able to get some work done!





PS The GT6's doors, bonnet, tailgate and front valences are finished, and Joe the Painter is working on the body. It's looking good, pictures coming soon!